Names of FR Deities -- usable at all?

[Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper]

I was just wondering if there are any circumstances or options available in which I am able to refer to a Forgotten Realms God.

For my project on making orc classes I make references to what religions the appropriate classes tend to follow.

ie:

Religion: Brawler's will follow the theology of the clan in which they were raised. A brawler has little use of the worship of a deity, but will follow the clan's beliefs and rituals. Some brawlers may say a quick prayer or shout a quick war cry to their god before battle if they believe it will enhance their ability to kill their foes. Gruumsh and Bahgtru are their preferred deities.

Is simply referring to their names and not expanding on them any further, allowable?

Am I required to refence the terms? (ie In a Forgotten Realms setting, Gruumsh and Bahhtru would be their preferred deities?) or (Gruumsh and Bahgtru as described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting rulebook are their preferred deities).

I would appreciate any assistance anyone can provide.

 

[jgbrowning]

I was just wondering if there are any circumstances or options available in which I am able to refer to a Forgotten Realms God.

For my project on making orc classes I make references to what religions the appropriate classes tend to follow.

ie:

Religion: Brawler's will follow the theology of the clan in which they were raised. A brawler has little use of the worship of a deity, but will follow the clan's beliefs and rituals. Some brawlers may say a quick prayer or shout a quick war cry to their god before battle if they believe it will enhance their ability to kill their foes. Gruumsh and Bahgtru are their preferred deities.

Is simply referring to their names and not expanding on them any further, allowable?

Am I required to refence the terms? (ie In a Forgotten Realms setting, Gruumsh and Bahhtru would be their preferred deities?) or (Gruumsh and Bahgtru as described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting rulebook are their preferred deities).

I would appreciate any assistance anyone can provide.

If you're not publishing, (ie. if your doing a fan site) you should be ok, but if you're publishing there's really one basic rule: If it's not in the SRD and it's in a WotC book, you can't use it. You can always as WotC for permission to use their property.

joe b.

 

[Henry]

I believe ALL the demi-human gods are property of WotC, so no use there without a separate license.

And the only FR gods I can say you could use freely are Mielikki, Tyr, Silvanus, and most of the Mulhorandi Pantheon, as long as you say you aren't drawing on the FR for their names, only common mythology.

 

[Psion]

And the only FR gods I can say you could use freely are Mielikki, Tyr, Silvanus, and most of the Mulhorandi Pantheon, as long as you say you aren't drawing on the FR for their names, only common mythology.

Loviatar is also a Finnish figure like Mielikki. My version is actually a bit more like the Finnish version than anything that has appeared in a D&D product. In Finnish myth, she was a spirit of disease, not some cutsie S&M hottie in need of a bikini top.

 

[Cergorach]

Tiamat is also an excisting god, she has also a dragon form, but not five headed chromatic.

There are other such gods, if you refer to excisting gods it's allright, if some gamer nerds mistake your reference to mean some FR deity they can't fault you ;-)

 

[Henry]

I knew I'd forget a few, but then, with 130 + gods running around Ed's World, it's hard to fault me for it.

 

[jmucchiello]

Actually, there are no gods at all in the SRD. Not even the Greyhawk gods are OGC. If it is a name, chances are it isn't OGC. No gods, no mages (Bigby et.al.), no outsiders (Baatezu, etc).

 

[Voadam]

Public domain sources only for gods, that means real world mythologies and ones you make up.

FR uses some from the public domain, a lot of Celtic, some Finnish, Norse, Babylonian, Sumerian, Egyptian and they used Tyche from Greek.

None of the nonhumans though, those are all made up and not public domain.

Same thing with demons and devils, some are Public domain and useable names (demogorgon, orcus, asmodeus, baalzebul, etc.) and some are created and not useable without a special license from WotC in an OGC work (Grazzt, Fraz Urb Luu, Lolth).

 

[Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper]

Thanks all.

Thanks all for providing clarification on this.

I may eventually distribute much of my orc material in the form of a free pdf sourcebook. I remember reading another d20 publisher's book on orc where he simply made reference to orcs worshipping "one-eye". This of course is reference to Gruumsh but still vague enough that they are free from WotC's wrath

I beleive I will just make reference to what type of gods would best suit my classes, rather than naming the FR orc deity names.

(ie: rather than referring to Bahgtru, I could simply state that "Orc Brawlers typically follow orc gods whose portfolio would include: loyalty, stupidity and brute strength" -- which of course are Bahgtu's portfolios )

 

[Iku Rex]

If it's not in the SRD and it's in a WotC book, you can't use it.

Why not? Are you saying that certain names "belong" to WotC? Based on what law?